The Koreas at Night

Source: NASA

HRNK 소식
의회 청문회
[12/12/2017] Protecting North Korean Refugees: Written Statement by Roberta Cohen, HRNK Co-Chair Emeritus
"PROTECTING NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES" House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations WRITTEN STATEMENT OF ROBERTA COHEN, CO-CHAIR EMERITUS, COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA (HRNK) ON “PROTECTING NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES” AT THE HEARING OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, DECEMBER 12, 2017  My appreciation to Congressman Christopher Smith and Ranking Member Karen Bass for holding this hearing to maintain a spotlight on North Korean refugees and their need for international protection. The world community’s preoccupation with massive movements of people fleeing war-torn countries has often overlooked the plight of smaller groups of refugees in desperate straits. The North Korean case is one such situation that should warrant international attention because of the extraordinary cruelty to which the asylum seekers and refugees are subjected. Unlike most governments, North Korea has made it a criminal offense to leave its country without permission, thereby preventing its citizens from exercising their internationally recognized right to seek asylum and become a refugee. Second, those who do try to escape face increasing obstacles -- electrified fences, enhanced border patrols, exorbitant bribes, and traffickers. Only 1,418 managed to reach South Korea in 2016. Third, if caught and returned, North Korean refugees are subject to systematic and brutal punishment, which the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) has found to constitute crimes against humanity.[1]  Fourth, neighboring China collaborates with the DPRK in arresting and turning back North Koreans despite the abusive treatment they routinely suffer a
[12/12/2017] Protecting North Korean Refugees: Statement by Greg Scarlatoiu, HRNK Executive Director
"PROTECTING NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES" House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Statement of Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), on “Protecting North Korean Refugees” at the Hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, December 12, 2017  Good afternoon Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Bass, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the invitation to testify before you today. It is a true honor and a privilege.   My name is Greg Scarlatoiu. I am the executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK). We are a nonpartisan research organization headquartered in Washington, DC that conducts original research on North Korean human rights issues. Over the last 16 years, we have published over 30 reports available at HRNK.ORG, documenting for the world the horrifying truth about the extent of human rights abuses in North Korea. Our work has played a central role in assisting and informing the efforts of the US State Department, the UN Commission of Inquiry, and numerous other stakeholders who care passionately about the rights of people in North Korea. Most recently, the report submitted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the UN General Assembly on August 28th quoted one of HRNK’s publications.   On behalf of HRNK, thank you for your time and interest in the plight of North Korean refugees, an ongoing human rights issue and crisis perpetuated by both North Korea and China today. The protection of North Korean refugees relates to fundamental human rights, human dignity, and state obligations under international law.   On the current situation of North Korean refuge
[04/29/2015] 북한의 강제 노동 사업: 정부 주도 하의 인신매매 시장 - 그레그 스칼라튜 사무총장
2015년 4월 29일 톰 란토스 인권위원회가 주최한 “북한의 강제 노동 사업: 정부 주도 하의 인신매매 시장”에 대한 청문회에 제출한 북한인권위원회 사무총장 그레그 스칼라튜의 서면 증언 피츠 의장님, 안녕하십니까. 북한인권위원회를 대표해서 북한의 강제 노동 시장과 북한 정부의 인신매매 가담 실태를 의장님과 논할 수 있도록 초청해주심에 큰 감사를 드립니다. 의장님과 이러한 주제들을 논할 기회가 주어진 것을 영광스럽게 생각합니다. 북한의 “궁중 경제” 북한의 핵·미사일 개발과 군사적 도발은 국제사회의 평화와 안보를 위협하고 있으며 미국의 외교·안보 정책에도 도전을 제기하고 있습니다. 북한 주민의 반대를 억누르기 위한 가차 없는 감시와 탄압, 국제사회로부터의 고립, 그리고 기본적 인권의 유린은 한반도의 평화와 안보를 약화하고 있습니다. 북한의 외화벌이 조직인 “궁중 경제”(미국 북한인권위원회 김광진 방문 연구원이 고안한 용어)는 북한 정권이 3대에 걸쳐 권력을 유지할 수 있게 해 준 수단입니다. 수만 명의 근로자를 해외로 파견해서 노동력을 수출하는 활동은 이 “궁중 경제”의 일부이며, 김 씨 정권을 유지하는 데에 중요한 역할을 하는 외화벌이 활동의 일부입니다. 이는 북한 국민을 대상으로 한 북한 정부의 인권 유린 사례 중 비교적 확연한 사례라고 할 수 있습니다. 해외 파견 근로자의 실태와 궁중 경제의 운영 원리를 이해하는 것은 북한 정권이 어떻게 생존해왔는지에 대한 이유를 더욱 정확하게 판단할 수 있도록 할 것입니다. 이는 또한 북한 정권의 안보 위협과 인권 유린에 대응하기 위한 더욱 효과적인 제재를 준비할 수 있게 할 것이며, 그럼으로써 북한의 인권 상황을 개선해 나아갈 수 있도록 할 것입니다. 증언 전문을 보고 싶으시면 위의 "PDF 다운로드"를 클릭하시길 바랍니다.
팟캐스트
행사
[05/18/2023] North Korean Human Rights: Is There Still a Way Forward?
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the Hoover Institution, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have the pleasure to invite you to a full-day conference entitled "North Korean Human Rights: Is There Still a Way Forward?" on Thursday, May 18 at NED. As North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, this conference will examine the human rights situation in the country and explore how human rights issues may be elevated in future bilateral & multilateral interactions with Pyongyang. The full program agenda is enclosed below. The welcome & opening remarks and the first session will be livestreamed online at https://www.ned.org/events/north-korean-human-rights-is-there-still-a-way-forward/. Program Agenda 8:45 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks - Damon Wilson, President and CEO, NED - Dr. Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy, Freeman Spogli Institute for Int'l Studies at Stanford University  - Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director, HRNK 9:15 a.m. | Refugees, Prison Camps, and the Chinese Dimension - The Hon. Roberta Cohen, Co-Chair Emeritus, HRNK - Dr. Tara O, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute - Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Researcher, Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) - Moderator: Olivia Enos
[03/29/2023] The Root of All Evil: Money, Rice, Crime & Law in North Korea
HRNK will be featuring its latest report, The Root of All Evil: Money, Rice, Crime & Law in North Korea by Joshua Stanton. The Root of All Evil examines the record of UN and U.S. sanctions implementation against North Korea, and it "proposes a long-term, multilateral legal strategy...to find, freeze, forfeit, and deposit the proceeds of the North Korean kleptocracy into international escrow." "By forfeiting misspent funds and disbursing them for humanitarian purposes," Stanton argues, "a coalition [of like-minded nations] can compel Kim Jong-un to make better decisions with the wealth that rightfully belongs to the North Korean people." The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET) on Wednesday, March 29. Access information will be shared with confirmed participants the day prior to the event. The event will be open to the press and on-the-record. Please click on this link to RSVP. Presenter: Joshua Stanton Author, The Root of All Evil: Money, Rice, Crime & Law in North Korea Discussants: Soo Kim Practice Area Lead, LMI William Newcomb Former Member, UN Panel of Experts on DPRK Sanctions Moderated by: Greg Scarlatoiu Executive Director, HRNK
[03/19/2023] Ten Years after the UN COI: Pressure Points & the Future of the N. Korean Human Rights Movement
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the International Bar Association (IBA), and the Center for International Studies of the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Yonsei University have the pleasure to invite you to an event entitled Ten Years after the UN COI: Pressure Points and the Future of the North Korean Human Rights Movement. The event, organized in cooperation with the CREDO Association and the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), will be held on Monday, March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Korea Standard Time) in a hybrid format: virtually on Zoom and in-person at Yonsei University in Seoul. This event is centered on both the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) and a Report published by HRNK and IBA (with pro bono assistance from the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton), addressing crimes against humanity committed at North Korea’s detention centers. A 12-minute mini-documentary produced by HRNK & the IBA on crimes against humanity in North Korea's detention centers will be played at the event. The event will also provide a forum for proposing a “human rights up front” approach to North Korea, 10 years after the establishment of the UN COI & 34 years after the end of the Cold War. [Schedule of Events] Welcoming Remarks (10:00-10:05 a.m.) - Dean Lee Jung-Hoon, GSIS, Yonsei University Opening Remarks (10:05-10:15 a.m.) - 
[03/17/2023] Investigating DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years After the UN COI
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations have the pleasure to invite you to a side-event on “Investigating DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after the UN COI: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” that will be held on Friday, 17th March 2023, 13:00-14:00 (Geneva time) in-person at Palais des Nations, Room XXII. Ten years after the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), this event aims to highlight the human rights infringements and crimes against humanity perpetrated at DPRK detention facilities as well as the chain of command and control responsible for those violations in order to emphasize the importance of human rights accountability in the DPRK. The event will feature remarks and briefings by ROK Ambassador-at-Large Shin-wha Lee, HRNK Senior Satellite Imagery Analyst Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., HRNK Senior Advisor & Author Robert Collins, and Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu, based on an ongoing HRNK investigation of DPRK detention facilities, which uses a methodology combining satellite imagery, witness testimony, and open-source research. The event will also feature three witnesses who experienced imprisonment in North Korea’s detention system.
[03/14/2023] Investigating Human Rights in North Korea
The offices of MEP Michiel Hoogeveen and MEP Lukas Mandl (Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Korean Peninsula - D-KOR), together with The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) have the pleasure to invite you to a side-event on “Investigating DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after the UN COI: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” that will be held on Tuesday, 14th March 2023, 13:30-15:00 in-person – at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in WEISS S2.2. At this event we will be joined by three North Korean defectors, who will give testimonies about their time in North Korean prison camps.  PROGRAMME:   Welcoming Remarks: MEP Michiel Hoogeveen Part 1: “DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after the UN COI: Past, Present, Future” Moderator: MEP Michiel Hoogeveen Pierre Rigoulot, French historian and author of The Aquariums of Pyongyang Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director, HRNK Part 2: “Witnesses to Inhumanity: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” Moderator: MEP Lukas Mandl Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., HRNK Senior Advisor (via live video link) Robert Collins, HRNK Senior Advisor and Author Jung Gwang-il, Chairman, No Chain for North Korea and survivor, Political Prison Camp No. 15 (Yoduk) Two former North Korean women prisoners, Re-education through Forced Labor Camp No. 12 (Jongo-ri) Part 3: Q&A Session Modera
이미지 갤러리

비디오 더 보기

This report proposes a long-term, multilateral legal strategy, using existing United Nations resolutions and conventions, and U.S. statutes that are either codified or proposed in appended model legislation, to find, freeze, forfeit, and deposit the proceeds of the North Korean government's kleptocracy into international escrow. These funds would be available for limited, case-by-case disbursements to provide food and medical care for poor North Koreans, and--contingent upon Pyongyang's progress

National Strategy for Countering North Korea
Joseph, Collins, DeTrani, Eberstadt, Enos, Maxwell, Scarlatoiu
Jan 23, 2023

For thirty years, U.S. North Korea policy have sacrificed human rights for the sake of addressing nuclear weapons. Both the North Korean nuclear and missile programs have thrived. Sidelining human rights to appease the North Korean regime is not the answer, but a fundamental flaw in U.S. policy. (Published by the National Institute for Public Policy)

North Korea’s forced labor enterprise and its state sponsorship of human trafficking certainly continued until the onset of the COVID pandemic. HRNK has endeavored to determine if North Korean entities responsible for exporting workers to China and Russia continued their activities under COVID as well.

George Hutchinson's The Suryong, the Soldier, and Information in the KPA is the second of three building blocks of a multi-year HRNK project to examine North Korea's information environment. Hutchinson's thoroughly researched and sourced report addresses the circulation of information within the Korean People's Army (KPA). Understanding how KPA soldiers receive their information is needed to prepare information campaigns while taking into account all possible contingenc

North Korea’s Political Prison Camp, Kwan-li-so No. 14, Update 1
Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., Greg Scarlatoiu, and Amanda Mortwedt Oh
Dec 22, 2021

This report is part of a comprehensive long-term project undertaken by HRNK to use satellite imagery and former prisoner interviews to shed light on human suffering in North Korea by monitoring activity at political prison facilities throughout the nation. This is the second HRNK satellite imagery report detailing activity observed during 2015 to 2021 at a prison facility commonly identified by former prisoners and researchers as “Kwan-li-so No. 14 Kaech’ŏn” (39.646810, 126.117058) and

North Korea's Long-term Prison-Labor Facility, Kyo-hwa-so No.3, T’osŏng-ni (토성리)
Joseph S Bermudez Jr, Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda Oh, & Rosa Tokola
Nov 03, 2021

This report is part of a comprehensive long-term project undertaken by HRNK to use satellite imagery and former prisoner interviews to shed light on human suffering in North Korea by monitoring activity at civil and political prison facilities throughout the nation. This study details activity observed during 1968–1977 and 2002–2021 at a prison facility commonly identified by former prisoners and researchers as "Kyo-hwa-so No. 3, T'osŏng-ni" and endeavors to e

North Korea’s Political Prison Camp, Kwan-li-so No. 25, Update 3
Joseph S Bermudez Jr, Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda Oh, & Rosa Tokola
Sep 30, 2021

This report is part of a comprehensive long-term project undertaken by HRNK to use satellite imagery and former detainee interviews to shed light on human suffering in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, more commonly known as North Korea) by monitoring activity at political prison facilities throughout the nation. This report provides an abbreviated update to our previous reports on a long-term political prison commonly identified by former prisoners and researchers as Kwan-li-so

North Korea’s Potential Long-Term  Prison-Labor Facility at Sŏnhwa-dong (선화동)
Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda Oh, & Rosa Park
Aug 26, 2021

Through satellite imagery analysis and witness testimony, HRNK has identified a previously unknown potential kyo-hwa-so long-term prison-labor facility at Sŏnhwa-dong (선화동) P’ihyŏn-gun, P’yŏngan-bukto, North Korea. While this facility appears to be operational and well maintained, further imagery analysis and witness testimony collection will be necessary in order to irrefutably confirm that Sŏnhwa-dong is a kyo-hwa-so.

North Korea’s Long-term Prison-Labor Facility Kyo-hwa-so No. 8, Sŭngho-ri (승호리) - Update
Joseph S Bermudez, Jr, Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda M Oh, & Rosa Park
Jul 22, 2021

"North Korea’s Long-term Prison-Labor Facility Kyo-hwa-so No. 8, Sŭngho-ri (승호리) - Update" is the latest report under a long-term project employing satellite imagery analysis and former political prisoner testimony to shed light on human suffering in North Korea's prison camps.

Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of Korea: The Role of the United Nations" is HRNK's 50th report in our 20-year history. This is even more meaningful as David Hawk's "Hidden Gulag" (2003) was the first report published by HRNK. In his latest report, Hawk details efforts by many UN member states and by the UN’s committees, projects and procedures to promote and protect human rights in the DPRK.  The report highlights North Korea’s shifts in its approach

South Africa’s Apartheid and North Korea’s Songbun: Parallels in Crimes against Humanity by Robert Collins underlines similarities between two systematically, deliberately, and thoroughly discriminatory repressive systems. This project began with expert testimony Collins submitted as part of a joint investigation and documentation project scrutinizing human rights violations committed at North Korea’s short-term detention facilities, conducted by the Committee for Human Rights